JCPS elementary school suspensions: How we did the story

As part of a focus on issues affecting students, parents and educators in the Jefferson County Public Schools, Courier Journal reporters Allison Ross and Mandy McLaren spent months analyzing elementary suspension data and speaking with experts and families about the effects of suspension on students. Data in the story are the result of nearly a dozen open-records requests made to JCPS and other agencies.

Ross has been with the Courier Journal since 2014, first as an education reporter and more recently as a member of the newsroom's investigative team. Prior to coming to the Bluegrass State, she worked as a senior banking reporter at Bankrate and spent six years as a reporter at the Palm Beach Post in Florida.

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Mandy McLaren(Photo: CJ photo)

McLaren has covered education for the Courier Journal since late 2017. She previously covered national education issues for the Washington Post while completing her master’s degree in investigative journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. Before beginning her journalism career, McLaren worked in New Orleans public schools, where she spent seven years as a special education teacher and administrator.